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MH, MA politicis is better than most states; on the other hand, the former MA house speaker/dictator-wannabe Democrat-in-name-only Thomas Finneran does compete pretty well with some of the outofo-state political characters many of us out-of-staters know all too well. This week, Finneran pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice (with regard to his outrageous redistricting plan for the MA house, in which he cynically squeezed his political enemies out of their old districts?. This was a plea bargain, in return for which the feds dropped 3 counts of perjury and reduced his sentence to 18 months "unsupervised probation" and $25,000 fine. He also agreed not to run for state, federal, ,or municipal office for 5 years (I should hope so!!!!!!!!!!!!!). Big headline in yesterday's paper that his "biotech lobbying post" could be in jeopardy, as his contract allows him to "be terminated for cause if convicted of a crime."
Here is a rich sentence in his public statement" "It is important to note that in 26 years of public life and public service, including today, there has never been a hint or allegation of impropriety or self-interest in any of my actions. Rather.. . the advancement of public interest and protection of the public purse were always paramount in every decision I made.". .
Oh, wow. There's just nothing more you can say to that.
As a newcomer, I'm sure I'm missed many of the nuances in this case. I'd love to be educated by the natives. But, for whatever it's worth, I've got Finneran up there in the political dirt-and-slime index. I wonder what kind of plea bargains there will be for members of the Bush administration. On that topic, Scooter Libby's trial begins next week, and Firedog Lake will be there to report on Fitzgerald's doings there.
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